Best Buy Funds $2.5 Million Scholarship for University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management Students

Best Buy is teaming up with the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management to help create brighter futures and make earning a degree more accessible for students. The new Best Buy Scholarship includes $2.5 million in funding – one of Best Buy’s largest education endowment gifts ever – for students pursuing tech-reliant careers in business. This important and unique corporate gift is part of the University's $4 billion Driven campaign.

The Best Buy Scholarship will provide financial support for up to 10 students per year beginning in the fall of 2020. Potential recipients of the fund include first-generation students and youth from Best Buy Teen Tech Centers, a place where teens can develop critical skills through hands-on activities that explore programming, film-making, music production and design.

Outside of financial support, Best Buy will also give each scholarship recipient opportunities within the company, including a mentor with experience in their field of interest, a summer internship and opportunities to participate in job shadows, career panels, career fairs and campus tours.

“We are thrilled to team up with the Carlson School of Management for this scholarship that supports teens who want to pursue a post-secondary education,” said Andrea Wood, head of Social Impact at Best Buy. “We know that jobs in management within the tech industry are increasing, so the need to diversify and expand talent is extremely important. This scholarship is just one more way Best Buy is preparing teens for these jobs of the future.”

"This endowed gift in support of students is a powerful commitment to the Carlson School and the state of Minnesota," said Sri Zaheer, Dean of the Carlson School of Management. "We look forward to realizing the connections Best Buy is committed to making, supporting teens as they pursue higher education opportunities in business and build their careers in this community."

The Best Buy Scholarship at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School is just one of many ways Best Buy is continuing its mission to enrich lives through technology by providing teens with the tools they need to prepare for the tech-reliant jobs of the future. There are 31 Best Buy Teen Tech Centers around the country, including five in the Twin Cities, with a goal of 60 by 2020 through a collaboration between the Best Buy Foundation, Best Buy and the Clubhouse Network.

Other programs funded by the Best Buy Foundation include grants for nonprofits that provide tech education opportunities for youth from underserved communities in the Twin Cities and across the country.

About University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management

The Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota is a recognized leader in business education and research. Established in 1919 and located in Minneapolis, the Carlson School is committed to developing leaders who believe business is a force for good through experiential learning, international education, and the school’s strong ties to the Twin Cities business community.

With 10 degree programs that are ranked consistently among the world’s best, the school offers bachelor’s, master’s, MBA, and doctoral degrees, as well as executive education programs hosted both domestically and abroad. Today, the Carlson School has 55,000+ alumni in more than 100 countries and over 150 tenure-track and full-time instructional faculty members.

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